STUDY DESIGN: Case series. OBJECTIVE: To describe transcatheter closure of the Fontan fenestration prior to posterior spinal fusion in two children to prevent paradoxical venous air embolism during the operation. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Scoliosis is common among patients with single-ventricle congenital heart disease who have undergone Fontan operation and spinal surgery can offer physiologic benefits. Venous air embolism is a rare, but important reported complication during spinal surgery performed in the prone position...

Universally fatal only 4 decades ago, the progress in the 3-stage palliation of hypoplastic left heart syndrome and related single right ventricular lesions has drastically improved the outlook for these patients. Although the stage II operation (hemi-Fontan or bidirectional Glenn) and stage III Fontan procedure have evolved into relatively low-risk operations, the stage I Norwood procedure remains one of the highest-risk and costliest common operations performed in congenital heart surgery. Yet, despite this fact, experienced centers now report hospital survivals of >90% for the Norwood procedure...

OBJECTIVES: Assess liver stiffness using ultrasound point shear wave elastography (US P-SWE) in children before and after the Fontan operation. METHODS: Eighteen children undergoing the Fontan operation were prospectively enrolled. Eight US P-SWE measurements were obtained from the right hepatic lobe before surgery, and at multiple postoperative time points. Temporally related inferior vena cava pressure (IVC) data was collected from medical records, when available...

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of ventricular morphology on perioperative outcomes during Fontan surgery. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Single standing, not-for-profit pediatric hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 72 patients who underwent Fontan surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass without aortic cross-clamp between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2014. INTERVENTIONS: None...

Hybrid stage I palliation combines cardiothoracic surgery and interventional transcatheter procedures for treatment of hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The approach is an alternative to the Norwood procedure, the traditional first stage of surgical palliation. Hybrid stage I palliation involves placing bilateral branch pulmonary artery bands and a patent ductus arteriosus stent through a median sternotomy, performed without cardiopulmonary bypass. The purpose of the bands is to control blood flow to the lungs and protect the pulmonary bed while the stent sustains systemic cardiac output...

The Fontan operation or total cavopulmonal connection (TCPC) is a palliative surgical correction of rare and complex inborn cardiac malformations that are characterized by univentricular circulation. Protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) develops in 4-13% of patients after the Fontan procedure. Fontan-related PLE leads to secondary combined immunodeficiency marked by hypogammaglobulinemia and predominantly CD4+ lymphocytopenia. Here, we present 3 case reports of patients with secondary immunodeficiency after the Fontan operation...

BACKGROUND: Sudden cardiac death is a major contributor to mortality for adults with congenital heart disease. The subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) has emerged as a novel tool for prevention of sudden cardiac death, but clinical performance data for adults with congenital heart disease are limited. METHODS AND RESULTS: A retrospective study involving 7 centers over a 5-year period beginning in 2011 was performed. Twenty-one patients (median 33...

This review attempts to answer the common questions faced by a clinician regarding thromboembolism and thromboprophylaxis in patients following Fontan surgery. The review is in an easy to understand question and answer format and discusses the currently available literature on the subject in an attempt to arrive at practical clinically relevant solutions. Patients who have undergone the Fontan operation are at a high risk for thromboembolism. Based on available evidence, there is a strong rationale for thromboprophylaxis...

BACKGROUND: Patients with functional single ventricles after the Fontan procedure have abnormal cardiac mechanics. The aims of this study were to determine factors that influence diastolic function and to describe associations of diastolic function with current clinical status. METHODS: Echocardiograms were obtained as part of the Pediatric Heart Network Fontan Cross-Sectional Study. Diastolic function grade (DFG) was assessed as normal (grade 0), impaired relaxation (grade 1), pseudonymization (grade 2), or restrictive (grade 3)...

The total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC), or Fontan procedure, diverts systemic venous blood directly into the pulmonary arteries and is the palliative surgery of choice for patients with a wide variety of congenital heart diseases with single-ventricle physiologic characteristics. Pulmonary embolism and thrombosis are known complications and are among the major causes of morbidity and mortality in patients after TCPC. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is usually performed for postoperative evaluation of patients after single-ventricle repair; however, screening for thrombosis or embolism with MR imaging is not always feasible because of the emergent nature of the clinical presentation or because of artifacts from metallic devices or coils...

Purpose Patients with asplenia syndrome (AS) are likely to have upper gastrointestinal tract malformations such as hiatal hernia. This report discusses the treatment of such conditions. Methods Seventy-five patients with AS underwent initial palliation in our institution between 1997 and 2013. Of these, 10 patients had hiatal hernia. Of the patients with hiatal hernia, 6 had brachyesophagus and 7 had microgastria. Results Of the 10 patients with hiatal hernia, 9 underwent surgery in infancy (7 before Glenn operation, 2 after Glenn operation)...

BACKGROUND: Hepatic fibrosis is highly prevalent in individuals with Fontan circulation. FibroSure (LabCorp, Burlington, NC) and hyaluronic acid (HA) have been validated for assessment of hepatic fibrosis in several forms of liver disease. We sought to determine whether these tests could identify Fontan patients with advanced hepatic fibrosis or cirrhosis. METHODS: Subjects who had liver biopsy and FibroSure or HA testing within 6 months of biopsy were identified from the Alliance for Adult Research in Congenital Cardiology Fontan Liver Health study...

The number of patients reaching adulthood after undergoing Fontan palliation for the repair of a congenital heart defect continues to increase. In this case report, we present the anesthetic management of a patient with a history of tricuspid atresia treated with palliative Fontan repair who had developed clinical evidence of Fontan failure. He presented with septic shock secondary to streptococcal toxic shock syndrome complicated by a loculated pleural effusion. He underwent open thoracic decortication under 1-lung ventilation...

Primary pulmonary synovial sarcoma is an extremely rare tumor with an unknown cause. The diagnosis is established after other primary lung malignancies or metastatic extrathoracic sarcoma have been excluded. We report the case of a 69-year-old man who presented with a well-defined mass in the right upper lobe on a chest X-ray. A video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) right upper lobectomy was performed. Immunohistochemically, neoplastic cells were positive for vimentin, CD56 and Bcl-2, and focally positive for CD99, epithelial membrane antigen and cytokeratin 7 and 19...

Objective Ebstein anomaly is a rare type of tricuspid malformation. The present surgical methods to resolve this anomaly include tricuspid valvuloplasty, palliative surgery, and tricuspid valve replacement. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the short- and midterm outcomes of different surgical treatments among children with Ebstein anomaly. Methods This was a retrospective study of 136 Ebstein anomaly patients undergoing surgery at our institution from January, 2006 to August, 2015. This cohort included 118 patients receiving tricuspid valvuloplasty, 14 patients receiving palliative surgery and 4 patients receiving tricuspid valve replacement...

BACKGROUND: The most common reason for reintervention after a Björk modification of the Fontan procedure, in which the right ventricle (RV) is incorporated into the pulmonary circulation by connecting the right atrial (RA) appendage to the RV directly or with an extra-anatomic graft, is obstruction or regurgitation of the RA-RV connection. Transcatheter implantation of a valved stent is an appealing option for the treatment of RA-RV conduit dysfunction in these patients. In the present study, we assessed early and intermediate results after transcatheter valve implantation within an obstructed or regurgitant RA-RV modified Fontan pathway...

Fontan surgery is a widely used palliative procedure that significantly improves the survival period of patients with complex congenital heart disease (CHD). However, it does not decrease postoperative complication rate. Previous studies suggested that elevated mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) and vascular resistance lead to decreased exercise tolerance and myocardial dysfunction. Therapy with endothelial receptor antagonists (Bosentan) has been demonstrated to improve the patients' prognosis. A double-blind, randomized controlled trial was performed to explore the efficacy of Bosentan in treating patients who underwent the Fontan procedure...